Obama Asks Hagel To Resign
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is stepping down under pressure, the first cabinet-level casualty of the collapse of President Obama’s Democratic majority in the Senate and a beleaguered national security team that has struggled to stay ahead of an onslaught of global crises.
The president, who is expected to announce Mr. Hagel’s resignation in a Rose Garden appearance on Monday, made the decision to ask his defense secretary — the sole Republican on his national security team — to step down last Friday after a series of meetings over the past two weeks, senior administration officials said.
The officials described Mr. Obama’s decision to remove Mr. Hagel, 68, as a recognition that the threat from the Islamic State would require a different kind of skills than those that Mr. Hagel was brought on to employ. A Republican with military experience who was skeptical about the Iraq war, Mr. Hagel came in to manage the Afghanistan combat withdrawal and the shrinking Pentagon budget in the era of budget sequestration.
The length of the Times story suggests they had a big heads-up.
In recent testimony on Capitol Hill, Hagel has been critical of administration policy on Syria, expressing the opinion that any plan to take on the so-called Islamic State must include the Assad regime in Syria.
Copyright 2014 Liberaland
By: dave-dr-gonzo
David Hirsch, a.k.a. Dave "Doctor" Gonzo*, is a renegade record producer, video producer, writer, reformed corporate shill, and still-registered lobbyist for non-one-percenter performing artists and musicians. He lives in a heavily fortified compound in one of Manhattan's less trendy neighborhoods.
* Hirsch is the third person to use the pseudonym, a not-so-veiled tribute to journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson, with the permission of his predecessors Gene Gaudette of American Politics Journal (currently webmaster and chief bottlewasher at Liberaland) and Stephen Meese at Smashmouth Politics.
12 responses to Obama Asks Hagel To Resign
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dave-dr-gonzo November 24th, 2014 at 09:30
Not surprising, but I’m surprised this didn’t stay buried until late Wednesday.
dave-dr-gonzo November 24th, 2014 at 10:30
Not surprising, but I’m surprised this didn’t stay buried until late Wednesday.
Red Eye Robot November 24th, 2014 at 10:12
It’t going to be fun having Mitch McConnell pick Obama’s next defense secretary
arc99 November 24th, 2014 at 11:18
denigrating the integrity, ethics and service of someone who has served this country to the best of their abilities is fun?
maybe to an America-hating right winger…
FrankenPC . November 24th, 2014 at 13:44
Who would you pick to be the next defense secretary?
Bunya November 24th, 2014 at 13:48
Gee, I hope Mitch McConnell picks a real warmonger. Someone who wants to bomb Sweden, for example. Who we bomb is not important, as long as we’re bombing somebody.
Red Eye Robot November 24th, 2014 at 11:12
It’t going to be fun having Mitch McConnell pick Obama’s next defense secretary
arc99 November 24th, 2014 at 12:18
denigrating the integrity, ethics and service of someone who has served this country to the best of their abilities is fun?
maybe to an America-hating right winger…
FrankenPC . November 24th, 2014 at 14:44
Who would you pick to be the next defense secretary?
Bunya November 24th, 2014 at 14:48
Gee, I hope Mitch McConnell picks a real warmonger. Someone who wants to bomb Sweden, for example. Who we bomb is not important, as long as we’re bombing somebody.
Spirit of America November 24th, 2014 at 10:16
The timing is political, the real story is iran talks being extended and the u.s. releasing funds while getting nothing in return again. This will help mitigate the coverage of that.
Spirit of America November 24th, 2014 at 11:16
The timing is political, the real story is iran talks being extended and the u.s. releasing funds while getting nothing in return again. This will help mitigate the coverage of that.